Week 2 Lab Data Group 6: Wool

Each of our group members measured the amount of wool that they had spun during the 3.5 hour lab. Those that completed extra spinning over the weekend, sent in the amount of time spent spinning and the amount of wool spun. 

Time Spent Spinning in hours (plus additional)	Wool Spun in feet (plus additional)
3.5	57.5
3.5	86
3.5	72.5
3.5 (+2.75)	139.5 (+108)

We also took photos of how much spun wool was on the spindles at the end of the lab period.

Carding and Combing:

Time spent	Number of Rolls Carded (per person)	Number of Nests Combed (per person)
15 Minutes (each, 30 minutes total)	2	1

The tabletop loom was by far the quickest loom to weave on and was the easiest of the looms to pick up the skill for. The tightly wound tapestry loom, in comparison, took the longest to work on and caused eye strain in the two members who wove on it. Those two members each worked on the loom for about 10 minutes each and completed about two rows of the weft. We noted that before we worked the tapestry loom, we thought it would be easier than it was and that it needed a lot of precision and patience. Through working with the different weaving tools we gained a greater respect for the women of the ancient world. 

We noticed that of the three types of wool we spun, the wool we carded ourselves was the easiest to spin, the wool that had been pre-carded was in the middle level of difficulty, and the wool that we combed into nests was the hardest to spin. A hypothesis shared amongst the group was that the wool we carded ourselves was the easiest to spin because it had been washed less than the wool that was pre-carded and that it retained some of the natural oil from the sheep. While this made it easier to spin, it also caused a complaint of hands feeling gross and oily. The wool that was combed into a nest was very difficult to thin out and felt the most unwieldy to work with. 

As the group spun, a couple members of the group became frustrated with the wool, especially when it would break or when the yarn did not have the consistency that was being aimed for. One group member in particular expressed frustration 2.5 hours into the process, 2.75 hours into the process, and felt mentally done when we were 3.5 hours in. However, even while expressing frustration, all four group members were able to participate in a fairly basic conversation when we were spinning for an hour straight.